More Milk, Less Leaking (Breast Shells)

Member Name: krazykat2005

Product:	Breast Shells
Date:	19/09/08 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Helps sore nipples, catches and stores excess milk

Disadvantages: Not particularly discreet

Breast shells are a handy contraption for breastfeeding mothers.

A basic plastic "shell" that fits over the nipple and catches any milk that is lost.

I bought mine from Boots, two basic breast shells cost me £4.20.

They come in two pieces, a soft plastic "lid" of sorts which attaches to a harder plastic shell. There are air holes in the hard plastic, which allows nipples to air dry. Most are microwave and dishwasher safe, which is great for speedy sterilising if you want to keep the milk you save.

As a new mother I noticed that I had a fairly strong letdown, often when feeding from one breast I would find the other leaking quite prolifically. In the beginning my milk would leak quite a lot , especially if I was looking at or holding my baby, or if I heard a baby crying. At night, once she started going longer between feeds I'd find my breasts would get overfull and letdown without stimulation. Often breast pads weren't enough to stop overspill onto clean bras and tops. For those times I found breast shells incredibly helpful.

In the first few weeks I got sore and cracked nipples, the shells provided a means to air my nipples without worrying too much about staining bedding. Letting your nipples dry naturally is very good for them when they are sore. I used to wear the shells at night for this reason, although I did find that when I was lying down I had to make sure I positioned the holes so that I didn't leak. I often used a disposable pad outside the shell to catch any spillage cause by lying down like this, or if I had a particularly 'productive' night and they overfilled.

The shells sat quite nicely on my nipples, the softer plastic seems to be non-slip and the shape of the funnel in the 'lid' draws the nipple in with a nice little vacuum, so I wasn't worried about them falling off. The vacuum could sometimes set off my letdown in the early days.

I also felt like I was helping the environment as I found I used the disposable pads much less.

There were a couple of downsides of course, the leaking at night being one, but also the shape of the shells means that on my large breasts they are very noticeable. I think perhaps on a woman with smaller breasts it might be less conspicuous, but they were definitely not something I would have worn out of the house. I also found that the lip running around the 'lid' to attach the soft inner to the outer shell could be difficult to clean, even with a bottle brush.

A QUICK TIP
If you want to save the milk in your shells, I found the best way to get the milk out was to tip the shells whilst still put together and use an 'air hole' like a spout. Then you won't waste any.

QUICK REVIEW

PROS
Easy to sterilise, dishwasher and microwave safe
Good for sore nipples
Catches and stores excess milk
Better for the environment

CONS
Can leak when used at night
Lip around the 'lid' can be difficult to clean
Very noticeable when worn, not for use outside the home

Summary: A useful tool for breastfeeders.